Have you ever noticed how the sounds around you can change how you feel? Like how birds chirping makes a park feel peaceful, but traffic noise can make it feel busy and maybe even uncomfortable? Scientists call this 'soundscape appropriateness', or SA for short. It's like how well the sounds around you fit with what you're seeing and doing.

A team of researchers in Shenyang, China, studied this in Beiling Park. They wanted to see how different sounds affect how comfortable people feel there. They used a special method that looked at how sounds and the scene around them work together. They found that natural sounds, like birds, make people feel more comfortable. But sounds from traffic and shops can make people feel less comfortable.

Interestingly, they also found that how comfortable people feel depends on where they are in the park. So, if you're near a busy road, you might not feel as comfortable as if you're in a quieter spot. This is important for people who plan cities and parks. They can use this information to make urban open spaces healthier and more comfortable. Even if they can't change the sounds, they can make the environment fit better with the sounds to improve how people feel.

How Sound and Scene Match Up Affects Our Comfort

Imagine this: China's navy, the world's largest, just did something brand new. They took two of their aircraft carriers out for a ride in the South China Sea. This isn't just any ordinary cruise, though. The navy was practicing how to work together with both carriers. The stars of the show were CNS Liaoning, China's first operational aircraft carrier, and CNS Shandong, the second one. They were joined by 13 warships and a group of fighter jets called Shenyang J-15As and J-15Bs, often called "flying sharks. "

You might be wondering, why the South China Sea? Well, it's a bit of a hotspot, with China and some other countries having some disagreements over territory. Anyway, the navy wants its sailors to be the best they can be, so they're practicing how to fight together as a team.

China has three aircraft carriers in total, with the newest, CNS Fujian, still waiting to be officially used. The U. S. , on the other hand, has 11 aircraft carriers, all powered by nuclear energy. China's carriers use traditional fuel.

The Liaoning set sail from its home in Qingdao back in September. It sailed past Guam, an island that belongs to the U. S. , and then met up with the Shandong near Hainan Island. They practiced together and even sailed near Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory. The Liaoning has now returned home, but we're not sure where the Shandong is.

All this practice is happening as the U. S. and Japan are also having their own naval exercise nearby. It's like a big naval show-and-tell in the Western Pacific Ocean!

SHENYANG

How Sound and Scene Match Up Affects Our Comfort

China's Navy Takes Its First Dual Aircraft Carrier Operation Out for a Spin